By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio

ENNIS – Self-proclaimed Funny Car “rookie” Austin Prock continued to steamroll toward the 2024 NHRA world championship during second-round qualifying Friday night at Texas Motorplex.

Austin Prock, FC Provisional No. 1. NHRA photo

Prock laid down a 1,000-foot run in 3.813-seconds at 333.09 mph to claim the provisional pole for the 39^th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals. Prock’s lap re-set the class track elapsed time record, stands as a career-best and the quickest run in “Ha-Ha Car” since 2017…two years before Austin made his NHRA nitro debut.

The special “Friday Night Live” session offered more than $40,000 in bonus money. The low qualifier under the lights earned the Top Fuel and Funny Car stars $15,000 each in bonus money, with $7,500 going to the quickest qualifier in Pro Stock and $5,000 in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

Prock left no doubt in Funny Car as his blistering lap eclipsed the track record by a huge margin. If it holds, Prock would earn his 13th pole of the season, tying him with team-owner John Force for the most No. 1 qualifiers in a single season in Funny Car history.

“Yeah, I was definitely jacked-up for this run,” said Prock, driver of the AAA Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS. “I knew the conditions were there and this Triple-A team was going to push if the conditions were there.

“This track is very difficult to drive, especially at night. The Meyer family, they bring in all the lights and everything they can do but it’s still tough to see out there. I stood on the gas and felt like I was pretty centered-up and I think I got close to the centerline down there. Yeah, still a great run. I’m looking forward to getting back to the pit and scoping it out and seeing what I can learn from that.

“We’re always on ‘kill,’ I would say, but we know we have to be at our absolute best these last three races to try to wrap this deal up. We’ve put a lot of hard work in this year, but three races, that’s a long way to go in this Countdown. We have to keep making smart decisions, play off our notebook and try to do the best we can and see how everything plays-out.”

This weekend’s event at Hall of Famer Billy Meyer’s facility is Round 4 of the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs, and 18^th of 20 races in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Prock, 29, replaced JFR teammate Robert Hight at the start of the 2024 season while the three-time world champion deals with a medical issue. Prock began the weekend with a 105-point lead over JFR teammate “Fast” Jack Beckman, the 2012 world champion who, ironically, is subbing for recuperating team-owner/16-time world champ “Brute” Force.

Beckman’s victory in the Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill., on Sept. 29 put him (and Force) 105 points back of Prock. Before Beckman knocked Prock off at the facility outside St. Louis, Austin had won 14 straight rounds, including back-to-back Countdown events at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa., and zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C.

Ford loyalist Bob Tasca III, who like Prock is seeking his first Funny Car championship, is third in the standings and 159 points back. Three-time world champion/team-owner Ron Capps is fourth in his Toyota, with four-time/reigning world champ Matt Hagan fifth in the Dodge fielded by Tony Stewart Racing. Hagan, the defending event winner, is second after a run of 3.823 at 335.20. Beckman was right behind at 3.825 at 331.49.

In addition to bagging 12 poles in 17 races, Prock has won seven events and advanced to 10 finals. He also has posted 11 low elapsed times _ stats Capps suggested have been mentally intimidating.

“Absolutely not,” said Prock, whose “Prock Rocket” is tuned by the crew chief triumvirate of father Jimmy, brother Thomas and Nate Hildahl. “I mean, there’s some serious competitors out here, multi-time world champions drivers. I don’t have a single championship in drag racing. I have one championship in my entire life in an open-wheel Midget. So I’m still the rookie in the class and if they say they’re intimidated by me, I would say I’m intimidated by them.

“You got to do the best you can because even when I’m on my best they can still leave on me. I just try to race my race and when I do that I’m happy with myself.”

Meanwhile, Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also earned provisional No. 1s.

Brittany Force, TF Provisional No. 1. NHRA photo

Brittany Force made it a John Force Racing bonus double-up, delivering a stellar 1,000-foot run of 3.667-seconds at 338.19 mph in her HendrickCars.com/Chevrolet dragster to earn the $15,000 bonus. It was the second-fastest run of the year in Top Fuel and placed Brit in a great position to collect her fourth No. 1 qualifier of the season and the 50th in her career. Looking for her first victory since 2022, Force is eager to build on a memorable Friday night at The Plex.

“That was just an amazing run for our team to come out here,” Force said. “We’ve had a tough year and that 3.66 and 338 mph, that’s David Grubnic and this HendrickCars.com team. We’ve been pushing all season long to have a run like that. Getting the check and the cowboy boots really boosts the team morale, and we’re ready to attack the rest of the weekend.

 “We won’t give up until it’s done. We’ll keep on pushing. Our game plan is to win this event here. We try not to get too far ahead of ourselves, we’re focused on moving up on that ladder and getting back in that winner’s circle. It’s been far too long. When I head back to my pits right now, I know the guys are going to be pumped. We all kept pushing. It gets hard, but we continue to push to be the best that we can. To do that today, it gives us a boost.”

Shawn Reed currently is second after running 3.676 at 330.71 with native Texan Steve Torrence third via his pass of 3.721 at 332.03.

Greg Anderson, PS Provisional No. 1. NHRA photo

Anderson closed-out Pro Stock qualifying in standout fashion, taking the $7,500 bonus and the provisional No. 1 spot with a quarter-mile run of 6.524-seconds at 208.99 mph in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. Erica Enders set the bar early, but Anderson rallied as he chases his sixth pole of the year and the 130th in his stellar career. Currently fourth in the Pro Stock point standings, Anderson has enjoyed several terrific moments at Texas Motorplex and he added to that under the lights.

“I love coming here, I absolutely love it,” Anderson said. “It’s all the Meyer family. They make it special, and it matters to us. It makes you rise to the next level. We got it done by 0.002-seconds and how fitting. That’s the battle we’ve been having lately _ it’s who makes the sweetest, most perfect run. That was pretty mean. I knew that was the target and it was going to be close, and it certainly was. Fortunately, we were able to keep her in the center of the racetrack and got the check. It all ended up great; it’s a great night in Texas. 

“These bonus points mean everything. It’s going to be extremely hard to make up ground on any one of them, let alone three of the four of them. They’re not making mistakes. They’re racing error-free, they’re fast. It’s going to be very hard to make up some ground. I’m not in a great spot, but I’m not going to give up. I’m going to keep trying.  Mission accomplished today, a perfect Friday.”

Enders, a native of Houston, took the second position, just missing P1 after a run of 6.526 at 209.09. David Cuadra’s 6.532 at 208.60 put him third. The top two drivers in points _ Aaron Stanfield and leader Dallas Glenn _ are fourth and fifth, respectively.

Gaige Herrera, PSM Provisional No. 1. NHRA photo

Herrera shattered records a year ago in Pro Stock Motorcycle at Texas Motorplex and enjoyed another impressive Friday to open the weekend, making the quickest quarter-mile run of each session _ including a 6.757-second pass at 201.21 mph under the lights aboard his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki. The run netted Herrera $5,000 and also put the defending world champion and current point-leader in line for his eighth No. 1 this season and 22nd in his career.

Herrera moved back into the lead thanks to his win at the most recent race at WWTR outside St. Louis. “You come here, you get a different vibe,” Herrera said. “It’s a very welcoming, ‘have fun’ vibe, and that’s what we’re doing. We’re having fun and getting to race at the same time. It’s awesome to get that bonus money on Friday night. I can’t thank the Meyer family enough for all they do for us racers at Texas Motorplex. My bike ran good coming off the trailer, so we were happy to get that and get a little extra change. 

“There are a lot of fast motorcycles right now between the whole class. We just have a consistently fast motorcycle at the moment. We’re trying to get every little point that we can. It’s all about consistency right now.”

Jianna Evaristo is second after her lap of 6.777 at 201.81, with Angie Smith third via a run of 6.808 at 201.41.

Qualifying is scheduled to continue at noon (CDT) and 3 p.m. Saturday.